On the coaches show tonight, Coach K said that they have tried to schedule a home and home series with Xavier, Dayton, and Butler, but those schools refuse to play at Toledo. Coach K said that they have even tried to schedule a 2 for 1 in which Toledo would play twice on the road and once at home, but the other schools still won't do it. Home scheduling will become even more difficult after this season because of the team's success. While the men's home schedule may not appear to be that great, it is probably the best Coach K can do under the circumstances.
Another reason the ncaa is a corrupt entity designed to keep bigger more traditional power confrences on top. Good luck ever getting OSU back in the barn.
(12-23-2013 07:54 PM)emanoh Wrote: [ -> ]Another reason the ncaa is a corrupt entity designed to keep bigger more traditional power confrences on top. Good luck ever getting OSU back in the barn.
You know I agree with that!
Cowards!!
Well we did hang an 'L' on Xavier when they came here in '98 and almost a second 'L' if not for that ridiculous 40 foot buzzer beater by that Chalmers. We also beat Dayton in '98, though the Flyers have beaten us 3 times since then. I'm not sure who Butler thinks they are; apparently they still think they're big time even though their run at national silver medals is a distant memory now and their coach is gone.
I don't know, seems to me those other teams would benefit more by playing us than we would by playing them, since they all are going to need quality non-conference wins considering the conferences they play in, while we are stuck in a conference full of teams who for the most part don't care much about basketball and therefore it doesn't matter much who we play nonconference because we're in a 1-bid league anyway.
Just curious..being we are now a newer MAC power, real time, do the other more established powers have the same problem?
(12-23-2013 07:54 PM)emanoh Wrote: [ -> ]Another reason the ncaa is a corrupt entity designed to keep bigger more traditional power confrences on top. Good luck ever getting OSU back in the barn.
The big power conferences monopolize the big TV money and hence control the purse strings so collectively they control the NCAA. The NCAA is just trying to survive and they know exactly who butters their bread.
Basketball is worse than football, but football is basically headed in this direction.
If the Rockets are going to want to play name opponents, they are basically going to have to play one and done's on the road and do the best they can with home and homes with other mid majors.
(12-23-2013 09:56 PM)therockets046 Wrote: [ -> ]Well we did hang an 'L' on Xavier when they came here in '98 and almost a second 'L' if not for that ridiculous 40 foot buzzer beater by that Chalmers. We also beat Dayton in '98, though the Flyers have beaten us 3 times since then. I'm not sure who Butler thinks they are; apparently they still think they're big time even though their run at national silver medals is a distant memory now and their coach is gone.
I don't know, seems to me those other teams would benefit more by playing us than we would by playing them, since they all are going to need quality non-conference wins considering the conferences they play in, while we are stuck in a conference full of teams who for the most part don't care much about basketball and therefore it doesn't matter much who we play nonconference because we're in a 1-bid league anyway.
Butler is part of the Big East and part of a huge TV contract with Fox. They were in the NCAA Championship in 2011. They are big time. But they should be kissing UT's ring because our Rockets are finally putting together a good season. That's laughable.
(12-23-2013 07:29 PM)RocketBBallFan Wrote: [ -> ]On the coaches show tonight, Coach K said that they have tried to schedule a home and home series with Xavier, Dayton, and Butler, but those schools refuse to play at Toledo. Coach K said that they have even tried to schedule a 2 for 1 in which Toledo would play twice on the road and once at home, but the other schools still won't do it. Home scheduling will become even more difficult after this season because of the team's success. While the men's home schedule may not appear to be that great, it is probably the best Coach K can do under the circumstances.
It's nice to see that the UT basketball coaches share talking points. How many MAC schools get big conference opponents at home? How many mid-majors get big conference opponents at home? Road and neutral site games are realities of mid-majors, even good mid-majors. Toledo has been one of the worst mid-majors over the past five years and a hot start by a great MAC team doesn't mean you can dictate how major programs and consistently great mid-majors make their schedule.
What always perplexis me and pisses me off is getting rated on strength of schedule. If the power conferences won't call you back or refuse to play us, we get dinged at the end of the season. I could see winning regular season champ, losing tourney and then not making it based on strength of schedule. Pisses me off. It's like the selection committee needs to know the list of teams who turn mid majors down. The system is so fixed.
(12-23-2013 11:37 PM)Rocket Pirate Wrote: [ -> ] (12-23-2013 09:56 PM)therockets046 Wrote: [ -> ]Well we did hang an 'L' on Xavier when they came here in '98 and almost a second 'L' if not for that ridiculous 40 foot buzzer beater by that Chalmers. We also beat Dayton in '98, though the Flyers have beaten us 3 times since then. I'm not sure who Butler thinks they are; apparently they still think they're big time even though their run at national silver medals is a distant memory now and their coach is gone.
I don't know, seems to me those other teams would benefit more by playing us than we would by playing them, since they all are going to need quality non-conference wins considering the conferences they play in, while we are stuck in a conference full of teams who for the most part don't care much about basketball and therefore it doesn't matter much who we play nonconference because we're in a 1-bid league anyway.
Butler is part of the Big East and part of a huge TV contract with Fox. They were in the NCAA Championship in 2011. They are big time. But they should be kissing UT's ring because our Rockets are finally putting together a good season. That's laughable.
The Big East has ONE ranked team (Villanova, who's undefeated), and among all the rest, only Creighton is receiving any votes at all. The Big East may think they're big time just because they'd put eight teams (out of like 30 in their league) into the NCAA's every year, but they're already not getting very much respect in the polls, and if they think they can just run up lofty win totals against weak competition, the computer rankings are going to come up and bite them. Butler, in particular, is 9-2, with two 'good' losses, but could only beat 2-7 Ball State by 1, and that type of performance is a glaring red flag when your schedule is loaded with weaklings.
Butler has wins over Vanderbilt and Purdue, two teams that are better than every team not named Kansas on UT's schedule. Also, the Big East is down this year, but Butler is having a good season. They would probably have the same record if Stevens was still the coach. They have two Final Fours in the last four seasons. How people can argue that Butler is not a power or that they should honor UT's demands is beyond me.
(12-24-2013 12:47 AM)emanoh Wrote: [ -> ]What always perplexis me and pisses me off is getting rated on strength of schedule. If the power conferences won't call you back or refuse to play us, we get dinged at the end of the season. I could see winning regular season champ, losing tourney and then not making it based on strength of schedule. Pisses me off. It's like the selection committee needs to know the list of teams who turn mid majors down. The system is so fixed.
The mid-majors love conference tournaments and it results in the conferences not getting the best representation in the NCAA Tournament. Also, the big conference schools play mid-majors all the time, but on their terms. What bugs me is that UT for some reasons thinks that it should dictate the schedule of those higher up the food chain in men's and women's basketball. Again, please show me how many major conference schools play at mid-majors (true road games, not neutral games), much less at a mid-major that was one of the worst in nation until last season.
Coach Kowalczyk has done an incredible job, but it doesn't make any sense to make these comments. UT has little to no leverage to make demands for better programs to play at Savage.
(12-24-2013 01:12 AM)Rocket Pirate Wrote: [ -> ] (12-24-2013 12:47 AM)emanoh Wrote: [ -> ]What always perplexis me and pisses me off is getting rated on strength of schedule. If the power conferences won't call you back or refuse to play us, we get dinged at the end of the season. I could see winning regular season champ, losing tourney and then not making it based on strength of schedule. Pisses me off. It's like the selection committee needs to know the list of teams who turn mid majors down. The system is so fixed.
The mid-majors love conference tournaments and it results in the conferences not getting the best representation in the NCAA Tournament. Also, the big conference schools play mid-majors all the time, but on their terms. What bugs me is that UT for some reasons thinks that it should dictate the schedule of those higher up the food chain in men's and women's basketball. Again, please show me how many major conference schools play at mid-majors (true road games, not neutral games), much less at a mid-major that was one of the worst in nation until last season.
Coach Kowalczyk has done an incredible job, but it doesn't make any sense to make these comments. UT has little to no leverage to make demands for better programs to play at Savage.
I agree that UT shouldn't expect to be able to get the top teams in the country to come play at Savage. And I understand that Butler has had a couple of Final Four runs the last few years. But I'm of the feeling that who does Dayton and Butler think they are? Nobody outside of Ohio really knows or cares about Dayton...most people only four hours away wouldn't even know they had a basketball team and outside of the very recent Final Four success...nobody knew who Butler was either. Xavier is at least a name program.
coach k's point is trying to schedule w strong regional mid major (sorta high major) programs. he's making a circle within 4 hours of Toledo and taking a stab at everyone good within it.
name schools do play a few road games. it usually requires coaching or AD contacts and money. in bball the money is much less than football. Toledo brought in Alabama under cross, for example, so it is possible.
now that Toledo is getting some notoriety as a good mid major, it becomes a little tougher to schedule. the positive (other than being good) is more of a chance to land a spot in a good tournament where you get to play some name schools on a neutral court. i.e., akron is in Hawai'i this week playing Oregon st, iowa st and s Carolina. coach k will have a good team again next yr and will want to secure a spot in a good tourney to compensate for the challenges of getting home games.
still, I think we scheduled pretty well this yr. we haven't played a lot of horrible teams and have faced a bunch of teams who in recent yrs are challengers for the league title in their (mid major) league.
I also think a schedule of this type has allowed the team to find itself and gel. if we had 2 or 3 killer games early we could have had a demoralizing loss or two and struggled to regain belief and focus. i.e. akron opening the season in a 3 a.m. (EST) tv game at st Mary's.
(12-24-2013 01:12 AM)Rocket Pirate Wrote: [ -> ] (12-24-2013 12:47 AM)emanoh Wrote: [ -> ]What always perplexis me and pisses me off is getting rated on strength of schedule. If the power conferences won't call you back or refuse to play us, we get dinged at the end of the season. I could see winning regular season champ, losing tourney and then not making it based on strength of schedule. Pisses me off. It's like the selection committee needs to know the list of teams who turn mid majors down. The system is so fixed.
The mid-majors love conference tournaments and it results in the conferences not getting the best representation in the NCAA Tournament. Also, the big conference schools play mid-majors all the time, but on their terms. What bugs me is that UT for some reasons thinks that it should dictate the schedule of those higher up the food chain in men's and women's basketball. Again, please show me how many major conference schools play at mid-majors (true road games, not neutral games), much less at a mid-major that was one of the worst in nation until last season
Coach Kowalczyk has done an incredible job, but it doesn't make any sense to make these comments. UT has little to no leverage to make demands for better programs to play at Savage.
Kind of silly to characterize UT' s schedule negotiations as " demands". They are just negotiations. No one is saying the multi-bid conferences should kiss UT's ring (they should because everyone should, but none is saying that). I think the point is that few of them, aside from MSU maybe, own a pair.
It's not about demandng teams play us or thinking we have leverage to play anyone we want. It comes down to wins and loses. power conferences don't want to be a mid major's signature loss in any year so they avoid us like the plague. At ncaa tourney time I can hear the prognosticators say "well they haven't played anyone." The ncaa leaves it up to power conf to set schedules and of course they are going to weigh scheduling to other big schools. the ncaa should require some sort of regional scheduling requirement that has big and mid teams playing 2-3 games per yr without crazy 3 for 1 agreements. The whole system is fixed. OSU has really played nobody this year and very few if any regional teams (maybe Ohio?) because it would look bad for recruiting if they lost. Especially if they played at UT, Kent, Akron etc. Its s broken system designed to keep power confs in the money.
I want o$u to come back to Savage. I sat in the very last row with my father and friend that game. Greatest basketball game I've ever witnessed. Savage was completely rockin that game.
(12-24-2013 10:18 AM)inductchuck16 Wrote: [ -> ]I want o$u to come back to Savage. I sat in the very last row with my father and friend that game. Greatest basketball game I've ever witnessed. Savage was completely rockin that game.
The chances of that actually happening again are between slim and none.
(12-24-2013 10:18 AM)inductchuck16 Wrote: [ -> ]I want o$u to come back to Savage. I sat in the very last row with my father and friend that game. Greatest basketball game I've ever witnessed. Savage was completely rockin that game.
That was a great week----beat OSU on Sat night, beat a good Xavier in Savage the following Wed night before another 9000 crowd and then went on the road and beat a good Dayton team the next Sat night.
I remember the euphoria at the time was understandably off the scale----"One of our own (Stan) is leading us back to the top", "We have a legitimate claim as the best basketball team in Ohio" , etc., etc. The Rockets ran their record to 10-0 that year and then essentially played .500 ball the rest of the season and lost to Xavier in the first round of the NIT while OSU went on the the final four of the NCAA.
Still that was one incredible week and probably Stan's single best week as head coach.
Unfortunately the TV money has now made the stakes way too high for the power conferences to consider visits to mid-major sites because every extra team a conference can squeeze into the NCAA Tourney, and every advantageous seeding that will help them advance in the tourny is now worth millions of dollars.
Remember college basketball (and football) is no longer a collegiate sport, it is a big business and you can't fault some power conference AD for making good business decisions. If you want to blame someone, blame the TV entertainment industry's very generous buy out of collegiate BB and FB.